


Always and Forever

by unitchiefprentiss



Series: To Build a Home [6]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:40:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25962988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unitchiefprentiss/pseuds/unitchiefprentiss
Summary: Though Keely is excited to be a big sister, as Hazel's due date get closer, she gets a little anxious.
Relationships: Andrew Mendoza/Emily Prentiss
Series: To Build a Home [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1653055
Kudos: 8





	Always and Forever

**March 2021**

From the moment Emily and Andrew tell Keely that Emily is pregnant, the teenager is nothing but excited. Emily had been so worried at first, she hadn’t lived with Andrew for very long by the time she found out she was pregnant, but Keely had been thrilled, claiming she had always wanted a sibling. Andrew and his ex wife, Samantha, had divorced when Keely was quite young, so a sibling had never really been in the cards for her. 

Keely always wanted to hear about Emily’s appointments, and she even attended the one where they found out the sex. She helped Emily and Andrew decorate the nursery, choosing color palettes and decor. She insisted on a nice yellow and soft green scheme, and the room really did look wonderful paired with the white furniture Emily had picked out. Keely's favorite part so far had been choosing all the clothes. Emily’s certain that between Keely and Penelope, this baby will never have to wear the same outfit twice in her whole life. 

Emily and Andrew finally settle on the name Hazel when Emily has just four weeks left to go in her pregnancy. They’re so excited to tell Keely, thinking she will be over the moon. 

“Hazel,” she tests the name, smiling softly, but it doesn’t reach her eyes the way Emily had thought it would. “It’s pretty.” She decides. 

Then she quickly adds, “I’m actually going to head up to my room. I've got a paper to finish.” She turns on her heel and heading quickly to her room. 

“That was weird, huh?” Emily asks, glancing to Andrew. 

“A little, yeah.” He says. 

Emily frowns. “Should we talk to her?” 

“Give her some time.” Andrew says. “Why don’t I start dinner?” He offers. “You keep hanging out up here, cookin’ this little one.” He gently places a hand on her belly. 

She scrunches her nose in disgust. “You know I hate it when you word it that way.” 

“More fun than saying bed rest.” He shrugs, and she throws a pillow at him on his way out. 

She hates bed rest. Loathes it, actually. She can get up to use the bathroom (which is an excessive amount of times these days), and to make one trip downstairs every day. Lately, she hasn’t even been doing that. It takes so much energy, and leaves her with such a dull ache that it doesn’t even seem worth it to her. 

Andrew and Keely have been spending a lot of time in the bedroom with Emily, so they can still all be together. Emily, frankly, is sick of this room. As nervous as she is for baby Hazel to arrive, she really can’t wait to no longer be pregnant. 

She flips through Netflix for awhile, then Amazon, then Hulu. Nothing seems to catch her eye. She sighs, tossing the remote aside and picking up the book on her nightstand. 

She perches her glasses at the end of her nose when she hears a soft knock at the door. 

“Come in,” she says. The door opens, and Andrew brings in a tray of food, like he does every evening. 

She smiles, but frowns when she realizes Keely isn’t with him. 

“Just us tonight?” She asks as he settles himself and their dinner on the bed. 

He nods. “She’s really determined to finish that paper.” 

“Do you think there’s actually a paper?” Emily asks. 

Andrew considers it, taking a bite of mashed potatoes. “Maybe. I don’t know.”

“Hmm.” Emily says, she thinks she might have an idea of what’s eating at the girl, and she knows she should be the one to talk to her. She and Andrew have a quiet dinner, but it's nice. Emily just enjoys the company. 

After dinner, once Andrew clears the bed and says he’s heading downstairs to start the dishes, Emily says, “I think I know what’s going on with Keely.” 

“You do?” Andrew asks. 

“Maybe. But I think I should talk to her alone.” Emily says. 

“Okay, let me know if you need backup.” He replies, helping her stand and make her way over to Keely’s room across the hall. He heads down to the kitchen and leaves Emily alone to talk to Keely. 

Keely sighs when Emily knocks on the door, but she says she can come in. 

She’s sitting at her desk, legs propped up while she stares at her laptop, headphones in her ears. 

Emily sits on Keely's bed. Keely spins around in her chair and takes out her headphones, pulling her knees up to her chest protectively. 

“I just came to see if you wanted to talk about anything.” Emily offers. 

Keely looks up at her, biting her lip nervously. 

After a moment, Keely says: “It’s kind of stupid.” 

“Hey,” Emily says, reaching over to grab Keely’s hand. “If it’s bothering you, it’s not stupid. I’m here to help. But I can’t if I don’t know what’s wrong.” 

Keely takes a breath. “You’re having the baby soon.” 

Emily nods, a little confused. “Yes, that’s true.” 

Keely bites her lip nervously. “I don’t know, it just felt really ... real. When you told me what you guys want to name her...” She says, beginning to pick at her nails anxiously. “It’s just going to change a lot around here once she’s born.” She adds quietly. 

“That’s also true.” Emily agrees. “It’ll certainly be a lot louder.” She adds, hoping to lighten the mood. 

“I just ... well...” Keely says. “I don’t want you guys to forget about me.” She says so softly, she has to strain to hear her. 

“Oh, honey.” Emily says. “Come here,” She motions, moving over on the bed to make a place for her to sit. Keely cautiously moves to sit next to Emily on her bed. 

“I know it’s a lot of change really fast. And I can see why you’re nervous, a new baby, a new girlfriend. It’s a lot for a kid to take in.” Emily sympathizes, instinctively wrapping an arm around Keely’s shoulder. 

Keely doesn’t say anything, just avoids eye contact. She doesn’t try to pull away from Emily, though, so Emily starts to gently rub her shoulder. 

“I’m not your mom, I know you’ve got one already, but sweetheart, I love you like you’re my own. The same things I want for this baby, I also want for you. I want you and Hazel to know that you are loved, supported, and wanted. No matter what, you’ll have me, and your dad, in your corner.” Emily says. 

By now, Keely has started to cry. She hugs Emily, catching Emily a little off guard, but she pulls the girl in closer to her, as much as she can with her belly in the way. 

Emily just holds her close and lets her cry it out. She remembers being young and being told not to cry, that crying was a sign of weakness and “a Prentiss is never weak.” She doesn’t want that for Keely and Hazel. She wants them to know that it’s okay to show your emotions, that bottling them up doesn’t make you stronger. 

“Your dad would say the same. I’m sure you’re nervous about having to share him.” She says. “But you’ll always be his first baby, no matter what. The love we have for you isn’t going to change once she comes, even if everything else around here does.” 

At that moment, Hazel decides to promptly kick Emily’s stomach, hard enough that Keely feels it. 

Keely sniffles, lifting her head up to meet Emily’s eyes. 

“See, even Hazel agrees.” Emily says with a smile, placing a hand on her belly. 

Keely smiles, glancing down at Emily’s bump. 

“It is a pretty name.” Keely agrees. 

“I think it goes nicely with Keely. Keely and Hazel.” Emily says, it sounds like it was meant to be. “I made sure of that, when picking a name.” 

Keely smiles brightly, wiping the last of her tears away. 

“Thank you, Emily.” Keely says sincerely. 

“Of course, kiddo. Anything for you.” Emily assures her. 

“I love you.” Keely tells her. Emily smiles, this is the first time Keely has said that before. 

“I love you, too.” She replies, kissing the girl on the cheek. 

"I promise I will be the best big sister." Keely says. 

"I know you will." Emily says, and she's never been more sure of anything in her entire life.


End file.
